Why Fashion? Another Point of View by Lars R. Peterson

When I wrote the article Why Fashion? I received quite a bit of feedback from those disturbed that I hadn’t taken the article to a logical conclusion, or that it was too vague or even weird. Well, Photographer Lars R. Peterson sent me this interesting perspective on the subject that I felt was worthy of a separate posting.

Not everyone has an eye for fashion. I worked for several years at various graphic design companies, sign companies, and web development firms, and it is well known to my peers and employers that I have always had graphic design skills. If the client can accurately describe their goal… I can make it happen. It has taken many years in that industry to realize that I do NOT, however, possess graphic design SENSE. I’m not good with what fonts go with certain types of shapes, or what colors and lines will create the appropriate feeling for the intended audience. I can realize my OWN visions… but trying to make somebody else’s dream materialize has been a nightmare. I no longer do that. Web design, graphic design, logo design… I can do it if I’m at a large enough corporation where we know what the goal is… but if I’m in charge of what it looks like, heck… it’s probably gonna suck a little… or at least not be exactly what the client was envisioning.

I think the same is true for many in the fashion and photography business. Tons of people have the skills to make a quality image. But very few people actually know (and can intelligently articulate) what a quality image IS. Technicalities aside… the fashion industry is driven by people who have an EYE for something. Something that the rest of us enjoy, but don’t exactly know why we enjoy it. I do not believe we are all equals. Some are great. Other are not great. Some of the greats are not great at the same things that others are great at. Fashion is a specialized industry, and parts of that industry might require talents from many walks of life… but not just anybody can decide to be the next greatest thing in the fashion world, and have any chance of becoming that.